Rashida Manley Joins Indie 'Decoding Annie Parker'

Rashida Manley remains cast inside the drama-comedy Decoding Annie Parker, joining a cast including Helen Search, Samantha Morton, Aaron Paul, Corey Stoll and Maggie Sophistication.our editor recommends'Midnight in Paris' Actor Corey Stoll Cast in Indie 'Decoding Annie Parker' The indie project from director Steven Bernstein is founded on the actual story of geneticist Mary Claire King, who discovered a gene connected with breast cancers. Search stars as King and Morton plays Annie Parker, a girl who resolves to fight her cancer diagnosis. Manley may have Kim, a pal who helps Morton's character along with her research. Media House Capital (Canada) Corp. is coming initially from aboard to co-finance Decoding, and may produce with Ozymandias Productions. Aaron L. Gilbert, Media House' controlling director, may even be the professional producer, along withJonathan Brownlee and Sahil Chanana. Decodingis in production in La.The project continues to be produced byClark Billings, Stuart Ross, Keith Kjarval, Mary Vernieu and Ron Senkowski. Manley' television credits include NBC's Work and Parks and Entertainment. Round the film side, her credits are the Social Media and Our Idiot Brother she'll star in Disney's forthcoming The Muppetsandcomedy Celeste and Jesse Forever, which she co-written. Jonesis represented by UTA,Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP. UTA Independent Film Group will represent U . s . States rights to Decoding. Email: Daniel.Burns@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Subjects

Blockbuster to supply VOD on Facebook

Blockbuster expects to create 8,000 to 10,000 films it rents on its Facebook page using a new video-on-demand service that will integrate social media tools like comments and emoticons. The movies, that Blockbuster will rent similar to how Warner Bros., Vital and Universal supply game game titles around the Facebook pages, will enable audiences to click a particular of reactions as moments play. Audiences may even be capable of see comments from pals to footage since it plays. Move will enable Blockbuster to supply up "Appear Video"-like commentary with filmmakers, where a director like David O. Russell will discuss his applying for grants "The Fighter.""For people it's determined by optionality and which causes it to be available," mentioned Blockbuster's mind of corporate and digital development Neil Davis. "Everyone knows everybody else sourcing is becoming more valuable if the involves what people watch and get,In . therefore the organization preferred to make sure it gave audiences a variety of simply how much they wish to connect with the movies they watch. Offering could also eventually serve for art galleries to check on screen films online, rather than through proper research tests in theaters and offer filmmakers and professionals with real-time feedback. Blockbuster remains waiting for Facebook to understand the social media functions before beginning it, that might exist in the conclusion of November. It presently doesn't rent films on Facebook now. The completely new offering was revealed within the Authors Guild of America, West early Thursday throughout an early on have a look at January's Electronic Products Show in Las vegas as well as the Entertainment Matters program that will guide Hollywood using the massive tech confab. Davis also mentioned the rental chain may also go back to acquiring independent films, given that it could monetize the overall game game titles better across various platforms -- stores, DVD-by-mail, online, kiosks -- this didn't have if the first started acquiring indies and supplying the flicks strictly within the physical stores. Davis mentioned Blockbuster will launch more VOD services afterwards incorporated in the acquisition by Dish Network, which expects to pony up around $100 million to market the organization inside the U.S. and overseas. "I had been inches in the grave," before Dish acquired the business, Davis mentioned. "For people, this is often a phoenix project and letting people know we're still alive." Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Ben Stiller Gives 'Zoolander 2' Details

The great Derek Zoolander once said, "There's more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking." Well, he may learn the true meaning of that in 'Zoolander 2.' In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Stiller revealed some tidbits about the upcoming sequel, which will pick up ten years after the last movie left off. As Stiller tells it, the plot will focus on "Derek's 'School For Kids Who Can't Read Good,' [which] has been destroyed, leaving him in charge of its pupil." The story sounds promising, however, the movie almost happened sans Stiller. (Seriously.) The actor admits that "at one time I walked away from it and they had somebody else rewrite it and they were going to do it without me, which was kind of ironic. Then it came back around." We can't imagine another 'Zoolander' without, well, Zoolander, so we're not sure how that would've worked out. Stiller also says that there are plans for a new 'Night at the Museum' sequel. To read about Stiller's work in 'Tower Heist,' as well as how he got his start in the business, head over to THR. [via THR] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Tom Hanks Developing College Athlete Comedy at HBO (Exclusive)

HBO is back in business with Tom Hanks. The premium cable network has a half-hour comedy, titled Players, in development from Hanks and his long-time producing partner and Playtone co-founderGary Goetzman. The project follows the lives of college athletes. James Evans and Darryl Scott will serve as producers on the project, with Hanks and Goetzman attached as executive producers. VIDEO: 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' Trailer: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock Star Players marks a reunion for HBO and the EPs. The duo was behind acclaimed miniseries Band of Brothers, John Adams and The Pacific, all of which earned Emmy awards, as well as long-running HBO drama, Big Love. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose Related Topics Tom Hanks HBO TV Development

News Int'l. certifies Dowler payment

LONDON -- It has been confirmed the audience from the wiped out British schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose phone was jeopardized by News around the world journalists, is to obtain a 2 million ($3.2 million) payout from News Worldwide, the paper's author. In addition, Rupert Murdoch will personally provide a million ($1.6 000 0000) to six charitable groups selected with the Dowlers. In the statement, Murdoch mentioned: "Once I met while using Dowlers within this summer time, I expressed how deeply sorry I used to be for your hurt we'd triggered your family. "The behavior this news around the world demonstrated for that Dowlers was abhorrent which i really hope this donation underscores my regret for your company's role in this awful event. "I furthermore hope by using the private donation something positive might be carried out memory from the daughter." Meanwhile it's emerged that British police considering the murder understood nine in the past that voice-mails left on her behalf account cell-phone happen to be intercepted with the News around the world, but needed no action. It absolutely was the idea within this summer time with the Protector newspaper that Milly's phone happen to be jeopardized with the Murdoch-possessed paper that elevated the hacking scandal into front-page news within the British press and beyond. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

What sort of Calligraphy Pen Rewrote Steve Jobs' Existence

I realize where Jobs' inspiration came from from, because I walked into same position three several days after he'd left in 1974: the calligraphy building at Reed College in Tigard, Or. "My first impression could be that the relaxation from the students really loved him," states Jobs' first calligraphy professor (and mine), Robert Palladino. "That surprised me, because there has been every one of these prodigies floating around, and Steve will be a dropout. Nonetheless they detected greatness nevertheless.Inchour editor indicates Apple Boss Jobs to think about Another Medical Leave of Absence'iGenius: How Jobs Changed the World' Airs Sunday on Discovery PHOTOS: Jobs' Dying: How a Magazines Covered Jobs will be a genius dropout with drive, so after his one 1972 semester just like a needing to pay student, he hung out at Reed for 18 several days more, studying calligraphy as single-mindedly just like a monk. Later, Jobs grew to become an associate of the Reed friend (and future Apple worker) to examine as being a monk inside the Himalayas, barefoot, with shaved mind and robes. But his first monastery was Reed's calligraphy room, run by Palladino, who'd been a Trappist monk for 18 years. PHOTOS: Apple Products in TV and flicks Plastic Valley's future most well-known screamer examined getting a monk who spent years taking a vow of silence. "Reed College in individuals days offered possibly the most effective calligraphy instruction within the u . s . states,Inch Jobs mentioned when he gave Stanford's 2005 graduation speech. "With the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was fantastically hands calligraphed...I came across serif and sans serif typefaces, about different the amount of space between different letter combinations, in what makes great typography great. It absolutely was beautiful, historic, artistically subtle with techniques that science can't capture." Calligraphing as being a monk gave Jobs an esthetic sense most math-nerd tech leaders (like Bill Gates) lack. STORY: Private Jobs Memorial Searching for March. 16 "A Couple Of yrs later Steve came back to Reed to see me he was concentrating on personal computers from his parents' garage," states Palladino, now a outdated priest doing public in British and Latin in Or. "He preferred to speak to me about my Greek letters." As Jobs told Stanford's graduates, "Once we were creating the initial Apple computers computer, everything came back in my opinion. Which we designed everything into the Mac. It absolutely was the initial computer with beautiful typography. Essentially had never dropped in on that single course attending school, the Mac would haven't had multiple typefaces or proportionally spread fonts. As well as, since Home home windows just duplicated the Mac, it's likely that no pc may have them." STORY: Apple Shares Hit New High It wasn't merely a calligraphic skill Jobs acquired at Reed. It absolutely was a mindset. At orientation, freshmen informed, "You're here to appraise the mind in the person sitting alongside you, as well as the finest minds whatever person were living." Reed's dropout, suicide, and grad-school admissions rates were sky-high. Social capabilities and gradepoint earnings were low. At Stanford, any grade below a C was taken off students' records. At Reed, there's no gentleman's C, and you also were apt to be too pure to even request what your grades were. Your main goal was perfection. It absolutely was about questing individualism, original thinking, callous meritocracy. The school mascot would be a picture of burning ambition: a griffin blazing like the sun. "Steve stood a flamethrower mind," states Tim Girvin, a calligrapher who started around the Reed scene and ongoing to produce logos for 400 films, from Apocalypse Now for the Adventures of Tintin, as well as for Jobs, who requested him to use around the mouse-triggered computer -- a "M.A.C." "Steve mentioned, 'You have to come lower to Apple, I have something I've got tell you.' I used to be amazed being flown lower to use on experiments in type design with this particular technology still engrossed in secrecy. I showed up within the outdoors to get results for him just like a renegade, to think about in different ways about how exactly to beat that design. "A control button, the cursor device, was discovered in some form of pressboard with wire being launched the conclusion. 'Could you draw a logo design design for your Mac computer by hand using this cursor, using the pc itself?' he asked for. I couldn't. The screen was small, the pixels large. So rather, by hand, I made sketches for your logo design design along with the pc, all finished with a calligraphic brush tool." Jobs loved the finish result. Positive factor he loved it. "For anyone who is on his advantages, it absolutely was always, what is the next tier of perfection? What's the next factor you could do this this that could be better? So when you're round the bad side, then you definitely certainly were gone. Steve stood a real temper. There's yelling -- not tied with me at night. There's furniture kind of tossed around a place. He'd an authentic focus, a path he was on, and you also were either in route so on there otherwise you were not. People discuss being terrorized by Jobs, but it absolutely was because of that crazy passion and fire he'd. He was very passionate about doing new amazing things." "Ethically, Steve was as nice a guy when you could meet," states Palladino, who never saw Jobs within the chair-throwing days. "An authentic nice fellow." Palladino's attempts to make contact with Jobs after fame struck were rebuffed by Apple, whose office responded getting a silence stonier than any Trappist's. Since Jobs' dying, Palladino is becoming calls from so far as China, asking for experience into where Jobs' talent came from from. Asked for which stars should play Jobs and themselves inside the potential The brand new the new sony movie adaptation of Walter Isaacson's Jobs bio (launched March. 24), Palladino states, "I don't see many movies. I never saw a TV until I obtained in the cloister." Jobs hired Girvin to accomplish more designs many occasions over time. "When he started NeXT [laptop computer company Jobs launched in 1985], he mentioned, 'Can you brew up some form of visual expression depending on how we tell the story of NeXT?' He mentioned that brand am corporate and disciplined, he needed to adding magical significant energy compared to that.In . To Jobs, calligraphy was the miracle that enlivens science. "Nearly all my correspondence with him was handwritten. That was part of our connection, the return to the hands." Girvin states the ultimate time they were in contact, 7 or 8 in the past, Jobs will be a changed guy. "He increased to become much more calm. In the beginning, he am youthful, so passionate, so crazy, and therefore direct, it absolutely was another kind of energy. In my opinion he just increased being more peaceful within the character." "Your entire day of Steve's dying, I needed my iPad and started drawing sketches in regards to the Mac, beginning wherever I used to be with Steve thirty years ago," states Girvin. This time around around, he didn't need a calligraphy pen -- as well as the iPad is actually under the Pelikan pen that Palladino uses. "The iPad gives you an opportunity to take pictures and notes and sketches and ideas, and converge these questions single space, very easily." Finally, Girvin is capable of doing what Jobs asked for him to accomplish sometime ago when (see drawing above). "It's returning for the initial computer dream," states Girvin. "You can't connect the dots searching forward," Jobs told the Stanford grads. "You'll be able to only connect them searching backwards. So you have to trust the dots will in some manner connect within your future. You have to depend upon something - your stomach, future, existence, karma, whatever. This process has not let me lower, and consists of designed a large difference throughout my existence." Related Subjects Jobs

'X Factor,' 'Big Bang' top Thursday

Enrique Iglesias was guest judge on Thursday's 'The X Factor,' which nabbed 10.8 million viewers overall.''The X Factor'' seemed to lose some momentum after its preemption on Wednesday, but it still was big enough to lift Fox to victory Thursday night among young adults. ABC's dramas were all on the uptick as was CBS' ''Person of Interest,'' but NBC's newbies were both down.While Fox led in adults 18-49 for a fourth straight Thursday to start the season, CBS finished on top in adults 25-54 and total viewers, according to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen.''The X Factor'' averaged a 3.6 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 and 10.8 million viewers overall from 8 to 10 p.m. , down about 10% week to week and its lowest-rated night to date; it likely lost some viewers due to its preemption on Wednesday for a late-running baseball game. After finishing second to CBS' ''The Big Bang Theory'' in Thursday's opening two half-hours, ''X Factor'' led at 9 o'clock in every category except women 25-54 (''Grey's Anatomy'') and total viewers (''Person of Interest'').At CBS, ''The Big Bang Theory'' remained potent kicking off the night (4.4/14 in 18-49, 13.3 million viewers overall), on par with last week and again standing as Thursday's No. 1 program in 18-49, 25-54 (5.5/15) as well as total viewers. A repeat of ''Big Bang'' then boosted the net's fortunes at 8:30 p.m. (3.7/10 in 18-49, 12.0 million viewers overall), rising nearly 50% above last week's delivery for the since-pulled ''How to Be a Gentleman'' and providing a stronger lead-in for first-year drama ''Person of Interest'' (2.7/7 in 18-49, 11.9 million viewers overall), which was up a tick week to week. At 10, ''The Mentalist'' (2.5/7 in 18-49, 12.3 million viewers overall) was again the No. 1 broadcast program in an hour that MTV's ''Jersey Shore'' has been dominating in 18-49.At ABC, ''Charlie's Angels'' remains a modest performer but was up slightly in its fourth outing (1.3/4 in 18-49, 6.0 million viewers overall). ''Grey's Anatomy'' (3.4/9 in 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) rallied from its firstrun Thursday low of last week to finish within 1 share of ''X Factor'' for the 18-49 lead. And at 10, ''Private Practice'' (2.4/6 in 18-49, 6.7 million viewers overall) was more competitive as it gained some week to week. (Note that since ''Grey's'' aired until 10:02 p.m., its number is expected to rise in the nationals, while ''Private'' is expected to decline.)NBC's opening-hour comedies ''Community'' (1.7/5 in 18-49, 3.8 million viewers overall) and ''Parks and Recreation'' (2.1/6 in 18-49, 4.0 million viewers overall) were up a bit week to week, while 9 p.m. anchor ''The Office'' (3.2/8 in 18-49, 6.1 million viewers overall) held steady or was up slightly week to week in most categories, winning by 2 shares in adults 18-34. News wasn't as good at 9:30 for the Peacock, as ''Whitney'' (2.0/5 in 18-49, 4.2 million viewers overall) declined 13% week to week for its lowest score to date. And that lower rating at 9:30 didn't help 10 p.m. drama ''Prime Suspect'' (1.3/3 in 18-49, 4.5 million viewers overall), which dipped to a 3 share for the first time.CW's top-rated program, ''The Vampire Diaries'' (1.4/4 in 18-49, 2.8 million viewers overall) edged out ''Charlie's Angels'' in 18-49 and was up across the board from last week, including adults 18-34 (1.6/5). At 9, ''The Secret Circle'' (0.8/2 in 18-49, 1.8 million viewers overall) held steady in most categories while showing gains in key women demos.Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 3.6/10; CBS, 3.1/8; ABC, 2.4/6; NBC, 1.9/5; Univision, 1.4/4; CW, 1.1/3.In total viewers: CBS, 12.2 million; Fox, 10.8 million; ABC, 7.5 million; NBC, 4.5 million; Univision, 3.2 million; CW, 2.3 million. Contact Rick Kissell at rick.kissell@variety.com

The Muppets train cinema etiquette in new video

The Muppets continue their easy go back to the zeitgeist by lending their talents towards the brilliant cinema ad below.It's for that People in america, therefore we will not see it in Blightly's magnificent movie theaters - they are most likely filming a bloody Orange version these days - but it is just like funny around the small screen. The Muppets is launched within the United kingdom on 10 Feb, that is absolutely age range away.

Bethenny Frankel Charged with Laying About Becoming Lost at Ocean

Bravo reality star Bethenny Frankel has been contacted to question on her claims that they was lost at ocean for 25 hrs recently.our editor recommends'Bethenny' starts tape season 2Bethenny Frankel Ink 3 Book Fiction Cope With Touchstone FiresideBethenny Frankel quits N.Y. 'Housewives'Bethenny Frankel Responds to Ex-Manager's $100 Million Suit: 'I Am Not really Bullied' COVER STORY: How Bethenny Frankel Used Her Reality Show to create $120 Million Tim Russell, the guy who found Frankel and her husband, Jason Hoppy's aide from the coast of Nantuckett, MA, now states the group, that also incorporated a Bravo camera team and Frankel's counselor, staged the whole event for cameras, reviews The Jewish Journal. "When Tim arrived, he saw the boat was fine," stated author Ilana Angel. "There have been 9 people included. Bethenny, Jason, the counselor along with a Bravo film crew of 6. They didn't require a tow because the boat was fine. They just adopted Tim and the wife to the shoreline without any towing along with a functioning Gps navigation." PHOTOS: Hollywood's Twitter Feuds Frankel initially told the storyplot to E! Online, saying "I had been on the sailboat on Saturday which was said to be eight hrs also it wound up being 20 because were lost at ocean." STORY: Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Cocktails Repetition Declines Product Was Drawn from Whole-foods Shelves She also stated the Coast Guard needed to be known as to arrived at their save. "The captain needed to call the Coast Guard and that we were hit with a large wave. It had been very frightening. It had been distressing. Absolutely distressing." Video: 'Housewives' Stars Showcase Their Luxurious Closets But, Russell stated help never was needed. "The Coast Guard didn't assist, as there is nothing to allow them to do," states the report. "Tim went while he respects water, and was unclear about the issue. Bethenny wasted everyone's time, mocked the USCG, and belittled Tim Russell." The truth star responded via her Facebook accounts, writing, "Let's review earlier this week's idiocies: 1.) I've got aInchgoodInchtrainer 2.) I'm getting divorced 3.) I'm pregnant 4.) I lied about being lost at ocean. Other things?" Frankel's Skinnygirl cocktails also received some negative press after reviews stated these were drawn from Whole-foods' shelves for neglecting to meet the organization's standards for natural items. Beam, the organization that is the owner of Skinnygirl later stated the items weren't drawn, but the supermarket made the decision to not reorder the merchandise. Related Subjects Bethenny Frankel Bravo

'Saturday Evening Live' Dips in Ratings With Ben Stiller, Hugh Jackman

"Saturday Evening Live" Following strong showings by Alec Baldwin and Melissa McCarthy, Tower Heist star Ben Stiller needed his turn as host of Saturday Evening Live. VIDEO: Hugh Jackman Comprises an unexpected 'SNL' Appearance The Next episode of the year -- which featured Stiller, musical guest Promote individuals and special looks by Hugh Jackman and Kenny G -- dipped in the earlier 2 days, calculating a 4.8 rating/12 participate the metered-market houses. Nonetheless, SNL matched up up its rating for a similar evening a year ago. The premiere, with Baldwin emceeing, released a 5.1 rating, while McCarthy's stint averaged a great 5.2. In 25 areas with Citizens Meters, last evening's SNL matched up up its performance inside the season premiere, yanking in the 2.6 rating plus an 11 share among grownups 18-49. VIDEO: Ben Stiller Brings Zoolander 'Weekend Update' Significant to see, Fox broadcast the initial game involving the Detroit Tigers as well as the Texas Rangers inside the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Amounts for the sport aren't available yet and went late due to a rain delay. (The Rangers won 3-2.) The second game, initially scheduled for Sunday, will probably be carried out on Monday. Stiller stars inside the approaching comedy Tower Heist from director (and Oscar producer) Brett Ratner. Inside a couple of days's SNL features Anna Faris and musical guest Drake. Hugh Jackman TV Ratings Ben Stiller Saturday Evening Live

Box Office Report: Hugh Jackman's 'Real Steel' Searching to start North of $25 Mil

DreamWorks' Real Steel is certainly winning its early models within the box office which is around the right course to top the weekend chart getting a gross of $25 million or better.our editor recommendsBox Office Preview: Hugh Jackman's 'Real Steel' Set to Win Weekend'Real Steel' Start Searching: Hugh Jackman in Dreamworks' Robot Boxing Film'Real Steel': Hugh Jackman Talks Robot Boxing, Possible Follow-up (Video) PHOTOS: 'Real Steel' Premiere Starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Real Steel can be a father-boy drama occur the area of robot boxing. The film, which cost $110 million to produce, will need to submit a great performance overseas too to have the ability to recoup its costs. DreamWorks and Disney, that's disseminating Real Steel, are wanting the film draws in both fans and families. PHOTOS: 'Real Steel' Start Searching The George Clooney-directed political drama The Ides of March, starring Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman is on an excellent start with an adult drama, and seems to gross $11 million to $12 million for your weekend. Of a political operative utilized by a presidential candidate, Ides of March should make the most of its topical written content. The brand new the new sony is disseminating Ides of March for Gold Circle Films, which fully funded the $12.5 million movie. Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros.' Dolphin Tale should can be found in No. 3 for your weekend, then your new the new sony's Kaira Pitt starrer Moneyball. It's too early to convey which film will complete the most effective five. Related Subjects Box Office Real Steel

Vinessa Shaw Starring in Dark Mythic 'Siren' (Exclusive)

Getty Images Vinessa Shaw is starring in Siren, an indie which marks the directorial debut of feature and TV scribe Jesse Peyronel. Siren can be a dark modern romantic mythic of a girl getting a really unique curse: her scent makes her irresistible to all or any males. Peyronel written the script couple of years ago and was gone after direct after being inspired by seeing his pals and fellow filmmakers succeed as of this past year's Sundance with movies for instance Appear of my Voice and Constantly. The script elevated its roots from Peyronel's fascination with favorite anecdotes, Greek classics and, intriguingly, comics. "It's really a grounded intimate have a look at anyone who has a distinctive ability but examined in the personal way," states Peyronel. "It's takes a more look at an X-Males-style energy." PHOTOS: Billy Burke Versus. Lily Collins Projects: Anatomy from the Snow White-colored Smackdown Music and color is playing a effective role inside the movie. Peyronel, when casting and staffing the film, sent the script getting a packet that incorporated not only photos in the look he was choosing for but furthermore a web link with a playlist that might be required directly into while reading through through. He used one chart showing how a tone of movie changes from mythic to romance to thriller. Rounding the Siren cast are Make the most of Kazinsky (Off-shoreline Rim) Bess Wohl (CSI:NY) and Ross Partridge (The Off-Several hours). Meg Thomson (us us dot the i) and Ludo Poppe (Peking Express) of Eccho Media are coming up with the film, that's shooting in Massachusetts. Shaw starred with Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow in James Gray's Two Fanatics and counts 3:10 to Yuma as well as the recent Chris Evans movie Puncture as her credits. Peyronel is repped by Gersh while Shaw is repped by ICM. Joaquin Phoenix

On set photos from Marvel's The Avengers

Entertainment Weekly made The Avengers its cover stars now and several of people photos have recently been released online.The exclusive pictures include one candid scene since the super team speak with a eco-friendly screen without anyone's understanding.Movie director Joss Whedon and stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Junior., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Chris Hemsworth counseled me taken, while Mark Ruffalo published a pouting studio shot.Being fair, Ruffalo was probably feeling angry. And you don't need him - or be capable of see him yet - when he's angry, while he goes all CGI.

Behind the Lights (Tralas luces)

A Festival Films (in Spain) release of a Tic Tac Producciones, Lagarto Cine, Ukbar Filmes production with the participation of TVG, RTP. (International sales: Tic Tac, A Coruna, Spain.) Produced by Fernanda del Nido, Hugo Castro Fau, Pandora da Cunha Telles. Directed, written by Sandra Sanchez.(Spanish, Galician dialogue)Life is a bumpy ride for the family portrayed in "Behind the Lights," Sandra Sanchez's affecting fly-on-the-wall study of a gypsy woman's struggles to keep things from falling apart. Having spent nine months traveling around fairgrounds with protagonist Lourdes, her family and their bumper cars, Sanchez has edited down 200 hours of footage into an item to be cherished. Striking just the right balance between detachment and intimacy, the docu does full justice to the extraordinary stories hidden inside these unusual lives. "Lights" looks set to shine at fests. Shot in Galicia in northern Spain, the docu began as a document of the disappearing way of life of itinerant owners of fairground attractions. Soon it became a character study of 34-year-old Lourdes, who, when not surrounded by demanding children, is surrounded by men more noted for brawn than brains. The film tracks their lives from fairground to fairground through the good months of summer and the bad months of winter. A complex mix of fragility and resilience, Lourdes was married at 17 to Jose and became a mother at 18. Jose has lost his driver's license, so it's up to Lourdes to motor their 40-ton truck from town to town, struggling to shift through the gears. Jose seems none too pleased to have a camera following him, perhaps because he knows his wife is nonchalantly revealing his failings to camera. The team of workers on the bumper cars includes Rui, who spends a lot of time on his cell phone fending off girls he's met in various towns; burly Felipe, who is filmed happily reading a comicbook of "Beauty and the Beast"; and, most affectingly, Arturo, a silent ghost of a man who joined the family after becoming friends with Jose, and whose terminal illness becomes one of the film's subjects. Lourdes' strongest emotional attachment appears to be with him. By the end, the docu has built up a fair head of emotional steam, largely due to Sanchez's warts-and-all access to the family's private life, which takes "Behind the Lights" far beyond a mere study of the secret life of gypsies. Indeed, during shooting, Sanchez seems to have become practically part of the family, or a protecting eyewitness. "Life should be lived twice," reflects Lourdes. "The second time to avoid mistakes." World-weary and disillusioned, occasionally exploding into rage, she is given plenty of time to express herself here in voiceover musings, enjoying a presumably rare chance to talk to a sympathetic listener. At one point, she says she doesn't feel like a good mother; at another, she says she doesn't care if her kids don't attend school, since by 16 they know everything anyway. But Sanchez makes it pretty clear that being a good mother is tough under such demanding circumstances. Visually, the pic takes its cues from the work of another Spanish femme helmer, Mercedes Alvarez, featuring lengthy, static shots that seem to be the result of Sanchez letting the camera roll and hoping something interesting will happen, which it often does. Strikingly composed images of the fairground at night, or of a child dancing in the rain, combine with handheld footage of seemingly endless moments of crisis. Acho Estol's simple, guitar-based score is pretty and evocative, but overused.Camera (color), Sanchez; editors, Sanchez, Nahum C. Fiuza; music, Acho Estol; sound (Dolby Digital), Claudio Canedo, Diego S. Staub. Reviewed at San Sebastian Film Festival (Zabaltegi New Directors), Sept. 17, 2011. Running time: 112 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokurikozaka kara)

A Studio Ghibli production. Produced by Toshio Suzuki. Executive producer, Koji Hoshino. Directed by Goro Miyazaki. Screenplay, Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa, based on the original graphic novel by Chizuru Takahashi, Tetsuro Sayama.Voices: Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Yuriko Ishida, Rumi Hiiragi, Jun Fubuki, Takashi Naito, Shunsuke Kazama, Nao Omori, Teruyuki Kagawa.Suggesting all that is lost when people rush to replace the old ways with shiny new alternatives, Studio Ghibli's gorgeously hand-drawn period romance "From Up on Poppy Hill" tells the story of how a young couple intervene in the demolition of a classic building on their school campus. Though relatively successful in its native Japan, this dramatic, somewhat grown-up entry reps a startling break from the fantastical tales for which the toon studio is known -- to the extent that the classically animated tale could have been told via live-action -- which should put a serious pinch on its export prospects. For director Goro Miyazaki, son of celebrated Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki (who co-wrote the screenplay), "Poppy Hill" feels like an about-face after the disappointing debut of "Tales From Earthsea." Where that film lost its way along a sprawling, ambitious sci-fi plot, this one feels small enough to cup in one's hands. Adapted from a vintage manga series by Tetsuro Sayama and Chizuru Takahashi, pic reps a safe, sentimental choice as follow-ups go, trading on the fact that Japanese auds would appreciate a nostalgic, lovingly rendered glimpse of themselves circa 1963, just as the country was reinventing itself for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. A wide-eyed example of the postwar generation, Umi lives with her grandmother on a scenic hill above Yokohama, where she keeps the memory of her war-hero father alive by raising flags for the passing ships each morning. Unknown to her, a boy from Umi's school passes below daily and notices the signal, harboring a secret crush on his shy classmate. But dating is more complicated than the two teens imagine, especially after the boy, Shun, recognizes a photograph of Umi's father in her house -- it matches the only relic he has of his own dad, suggesting the budding sweethearts may in fact be related. When the details of Shun's family history come to light, they reveal the painful traces World War II left on ordinary citizens, a recurring motif in a tale whose central theme concerns the tension between Japan's past and future. At times, the pic's focus feels disappointingly simplistic, as Umi rallies her classmates to save an old French-style mansion the students use as a clubhouse. But the efforts of the young characters' Latin Quarter Anti-Demolition League represents something larger than the fate of the building itself, though the point may well be lost on foreign auds. Breathtaking in their own right, "Poppy Hill's" beautiful vistas and bustling cityscapes reflect the effects of modernization on Japan itself, especially during the students' trip into Tokyo to plead their case directly to the school board's chairman. Whereas Hayao Miyazaki looked upon the country's boat- and pollution-clogged harbors with grim reproach in "Ponyo," father and son alike see them as a symbol of national pride and progress in this context. And yet, "Poppy Hill" argues the need to maintain one's ties to the past, even for a nation shamed, demoralized and eager to erase its recent history. Certainly the young characters cannot move forward without untangling the specifics of their own family histories. The same principle applies to the country as a whole, and it seems somehow fitting that the increasingly antiquated medium of hard-drawn animation would serve to make the point here. The jury's still out on whether Goro Miyazaki can sustain his father's legacy as storyteller, though with its beautiful visuals and songs, "Poppy Hill" finds a deserving, if modest, place among its Studio Ghibli peers.Camera (color), Atsushi Okui; music, Satoshi Takebe; character designer, Katsuya Kondo; sound design, Koji Kasamatsu. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema), Sept. 8, 2011. Running time: 91 MIN. Contact Peter Debruge at peter.debruge@variety.com

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VIDEO: Andy Rooney Signs Removed From an hour

Tonight 92-year-old Andy Rooney made his 1,097th and final regular appearance on an hour. If only I possibly could do that forever, he stated in the final essay entitled My Lucky Existence, by which he thanked his audiences and, in the trademark curmudgeonly style also become a huge hit for them, “If you find me inside a restaurant, please, just allow me to eat my dinner.” This is actually the video: